If Ah'm Dreaming
by NeoNails
Summary: Oneshot. "It had taken almost eighteen years, but Rogue finally had a boyfriend. And yet... There was something missing."


After like a year and then some, I've finally decided to get back into _X-men: Evolution_. And after all of this time, I've realized that a good majority of what I was once so proud of is now kind of sucky. But no worries! I plan on redoing each and every one of my fics in the NEO storyline. It's just a matter of time and patience, because I'm finding a lot to fix.

There's also another story I've been working on for about six or seven months that has absolutely nothing to do with the NEO storyline but is a chaptered fic, something I used to be deathly afraid of, but now, not so much.

This one (as far as I know) isn't connected to the NEO!line either, but is a standalone. I've been experimenting with different emotions and getting into my darker side, because, if I want to be a real author, I need to tap into the grittier side of things now and again. You won't have to read that here, though.

Oh, and, as for the pairing… read on. You'll figure it out eventually. ;)

Hope you like!

4

_If I'm blind,  
__Give me eyes to see  
__And if I'm dreamin',  
__Don't wake me._

- "Don't Wake Me," by Toby Lightman

* * *

It had taken almost eighteen years, but Rogue finally had a boyfriend. She still couldn't touch anyone longer than a minute without putting them into a coma, but she had a boyfriend. It was almost fitting. They were both from the Deep South; okay, she was from Mississippi, and he was from Louisiana, not that anyone this north of the Mason-Dixon Line could tell the difference. They had extremely volatile powers; she could kill someone with her touch, and so could he. And, finally, both had a very peculiar characteristic about them; her permanent white stripe, his burning eyes.

Granted, he was a 'reformed' manwhore, and she couldn't touch him without doing damage and zapping his thoughts and powers. But it was still a relationship. She'd even introduced him as her boyfriend to Kitty, Lance, Kurt, Todd, and Wanda (Wanda was there because she was kind of friends with Kurt… Todd was there because Wanda was there… and Kurt was there to protect Kitty if Lance tried anything) when they ran into one another at the movie theater.

But, even for her first relationship, it was… weird. Oh, there was certainly the prerequisite sexual tension necessary for any relationship to keep surviving past the first two weeks, and he was smart enough that they rarely ran out of things to say to one another- in fact, most of their conversations involved employing friendly banter and teasing arguments. They'd even kissed a few times, with the help from sheer barriers like scarves and Saran Wrap.

And yet…

There was something missing. Something under the surface, some kind of switch that had never been flicked. Damned if she knew what kind of switch it was, but it had to be something important. Why else would she have noticed it in the first place?

Not that she was planning on doing anything about this treacherous little switch. Her relationship with him was reliable, even if he wasn't always. And if she kept thinking about it, she'd probably ruin everything. It was like a scab; the more you picked at it, the more infected it became.

So Rogue continued to date him, ignoring negative thoughts and doubts and focused on just keeping her relationship afloat. It wasn't that hard to do. She just went on one or two dates every week, flirted, and kissed briefly before heading back to the Mansion. Occasionally, she went on double dates with Kitty and Lance or with a group, but that didn't happen very often. After a while, it felt like she was an actor in some cheap romantic comedy; she was just going through the motions of a normal and happy relationship.

She wasn't sure if he felt the same, or even noticed the change at all. He never brought it up with her, in any case. She assumed that meant he was too attracted to her to see that something was amiss. It was flattering, certainly, but not very helpful.

She could've always asked Kitty for advice, but she was too busy alternately arguing with Kurt about Lance, mooning over Lance, and getting jealous when Kurt hung out with Wanda. The teeny tiny Valley Girl had some romantic issues of her own to solve before she could even begin to help out Rogue.

Well, she could always ask Kurt, but he was spending most of his smitten with Kitty or moping with Wanda, plus she _really_ didn't want to ask him for romantic advice. One more person she could cross off her list.

Rogue was close to Wolverine, but she wanted to ask him for advice about as much as she wanted to ask Kurt; he was like a father, and he didn't like Remy, so that was out. Same went with the Prof., though he was okay with Remy, but he probably wouldn't be okay with listening to some girl- one of his own students- ramble on about her boyfriend and how nothing seems to be the same and it feels like their dates are on a broken record, the same thing happening again and again and again and she's pretty sure she doesn't he like him that way anymore-

Whoa. Pause. Rewind. _What?!_

That can't possibly be right. He's her boyfriend. She's dating him. She _likes_ him. She has to. They're practically perfect for one another. She can't _not_ like him. That wouldn't make any sense at all…

That was a blatant lie. It might make a sense. A little. Because the past few nights, she'd… been having some interesting… dreams. And he wasn't the guy in them.

In her defense, she _was_ female. Sure, she was a mutant, but that didn't mean she wasn't a girl. She felt attraction for those of the opposite sex, and, on occasion, she had dreams that reflected this.

But you'd think that, with a boyfriend of her own, she'd have dreams about him. Or maybe, if she was really imaginative, she might have a dream or two about a famous actor or rock star or something. But not… this. This was… inexplicable. Wrong. Mind-bogglingly crazy.

Because who would have ever guessed that Rogue, the ever-untouchable Goth with a Cajun Swamp Rat for a boyfriend, would have dreams about kissing Scott Summers?

4

This is pretty short, especially for me and _XM:E_. I mean, I'm kinda known 'round these parts for writing oneshots that are 10-some-pages long, not barely three and about 1,100 words. I guess I just need to get back in the swing of things. It has been a while.

Hoped you guys liked it, even if it's not what you're used to. :)


End file.
